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‘I just give from my heart’: how Dolly Parton’s philanthropy focused most on helping children
Parton put her millions behind causes she believed in – from Covid vaccines to the Imagination Library, which sends children around the world a free book every month Dolly Parton dies aged 80 | Celebrity tributes | A life in pictures Parton’s peerless career turned country music cliches inside out Share your tributes and memories of Dolly Parton In 1991, Dolly Parton made an startling offer to every seventh and eighth-grade student in Sevier County, Tennessee where she grew up: the world-famous singer would personally give them $500 each if they graduated high school. The children had to pick a buddy to hold each other accountable; if one didn’t graduate, the other wouldn’t get the cash. But the idea worked: the county’s high school dropout rate plummeted from 35% to 6%. This was the sort of practical, radical act of charity that Parton, nicknamed “St Dolly”, dedicated her life to trying
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Parton put her millions behind causes she believed in – from Covid vaccines to the Imagination Library, which sends children around the world a free book every month Dolly Parton dies aged 80 | Celebrity tributes | A life in pictures Parton’s peerless career turned country music cliches inside out Share your tributes and memories of Dolly Parton In 1991, Dolly Parton made an startling offer to every seventh and eighth-grade student in Sevier County, Tennessee where she grew up: the world-famous singer would personally give them $500 each if they graduated high school. The children had to pick a buddy to hold each other accountable; if one didn’t graduate, the other wouldn’t get the cash. But the idea worked: the county’s high school dropout rate plummeted from 35% to 6%. This was the sort of practical, radical act of charity that Parton, nicknamed “St Dolly”, dedicated her life to trying
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According to The Guardian’s source item, ‘I just give from my heart’: how Dolly Parton’s philanthropy focused most on helping children, Parton put her millions behind causes she believed in – from Covid vaccines to the Imagination Library, which sends children around the world a free book every month Dolly Parton dies aged 80 | Celebrity tributes | A life in pictures Parton’s peerless career turned country music cliches inside out Share your tributes and memories of Dolly Parton In 1991, Dolly Parton made an startling offer to every seventh and eighth-grade student in Sevier County, Tennessee where she grew up: the world-famous singer would personally give them $500 each if they graduated high school. The children had to pick a buddy to hold each other accountable; if one didn’t graduate, the other wouldn’t get the cash. But the idea worked: the county’s high school dropout rate plummeted from 35% to 6%. This was the sort of practical, radical act of charity that Parton, nicknamed “St Dolly”, dedicated her life to trying
Context
The development sits in VINI’s Culture file for readers following arts, entertainment, fashion, film, music, celebrity, and the business of culture. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-08-26T08:00:38+00:00.
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Source
Primary source: ‘I just give from my heart’: how Dolly Parton’s philanthropy focused most on helping children via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.
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- ‘I just give from my heart’: how Dolly Parton’s philanthropy focused most on helping childrenThe Guardian - 2026-08-26T08:00:38+00:00
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